ENDTIME ISSUES
No. 57: HOMOSEXUALS CAN BE MADE WHOLE!
By Samuele Bacchiocchi,
Ph. D., Retired Prof. of Theology, Andrews University
During
the past few months Americans have been bombarded by political speeches from presidential
candidates and their supporters. One aspect of the political campaign that
caught my attention, is the constant polling of public opinion by market research
specialists. On the basis of public opinion polling, political candidates are
advised on how to sell themselves and their programs.
Reflections On
The Presidential Campaign
While
watching the animated political campaign for a new American President, I could
not help but reflect on the relevance of the political process to the life of
the church. For the sake of brevity, I will make only two observations.
First,
public opinion can easily be swayed by promising people what they want-a fact
that politicians know all too well. Unfortunately, what people want, is not
necessarily always what they need. For example, giving back to the people the
Federal surplus income in the form of lower taxes or refunds, may not be in the
best national interest. Using up the surplus may make it difficult to pay back
the national debt and to meet unexpected emergencies.
Church Growth
Based on Supply and Demand
What
is true in the political life, can also be true in the life of the church. Many
Christians want the church to give them what they want: soothing sermons,
entertaining programs, physically stimulating beat music, good schooling for
their children, delicious fellowship dinners, great social programs,
professional counseling services, etc. Those churches which best identify the
services people want and succeed in providing them, grow and sometimes become mega-churches
with thousands of members.
Church
growth based on market research, raises serious questions, because the mandate
of the Church is to give people what they need, and not necessarily what they
want. What Christians need today is not always what they want to hear. For
example, Christians need to be constantly reminded of the sacredness of God's
Holy Day, of the sanctity of life and of their marital commitment. They need to
be instructed on the Biblical distinction between sacred music for worship and
secular music for entertainment. They need to be reminded to accept and respect
everybody, whether rich or poor, black or white, educated or uneducated. They
need to be taught how to live "sober, upright and godly lives" in a
secularly minded and perverse generation (Titus 2:12).
A
church that addresses these issues and upholds high moral standards, may not be
popular. Its growth may be slow and may never become a mega-church. But Christ
never promised that the Church He founded would become a popular movement. The history of the Early Church is largely a
story of a moral minority being ridiculed and persecuted by an immoral pagan
majority deeply offended by the exemplary lifestyle and noble teachings of
Christ's followers.
The
point is that the church is not like a political party that can construct a
platform based on the expectation of the masses. To tailor the message of the
Gospel and the programs of the church to meet popular demands, means to
adulterate the mission and message of the church.
The Swaying of
Public Opinion
A
second observation made during the presidential campaign is the swaying of
public opinion by charismatic speakers. After the Republican National
convention, there was an immediate increase in the support for the Republican
part. Few weeks later, after the Democratic National Convention there was an
immediate substantial increase in the public support for the Democratic party.
This is not a new phenomenon. In ancient Rome eloquent "ORATORS" were
hired by those in power to influence public opinion. Eloquent speakers moved the masses to support the programs of their
rulers.
The
influencing of public opinion by eloquent speakers, which is so characteristic
of the political process, is not foreign to what happens in the church life. I
recall what happened few years ago when the issue of women ordination came up
for a vote at our university campus church. Before the vote the pastor preached
a compelling sermon on the Biblical role distinctions in the home and the
church. The point of his sermon was that ordaining women to serve in the headship
role of elders, would violate the role distinctions between men and women
established at creation. When the vote was taken, the congregation voted
overwhelming against ordaining women as "Elders."
Gradually,
however, the pro-ordination movement gained momentum on our campus. It was not
long before the same pastor sensed the need to be politically correct by
preaching a different sermon. This time he argued that after much study and
prayer, the Lord had revealed to him that role distinctions apply only to the home,
not to the church. The main reason given is that the church is not a family,
but a service organization where leadership is assigned on the basis of
competence, and not of gender.
This
"new revelation" caught me by surprise, because the Bible clearly
teaches that the church as "the household of God" (1 Tim 3:15), and
leadership in the church largely depend upon the tried virtues of fatherhood:
"For if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he
care for God's church?" (1 Tim 3:5). At any rate, when the vote was taken
after the second sermon, the majority of the same congregation voted in favor
of women's ordination.
The
point I wish to make is, like in a political campaign, all too often the
opinion of church members is influenced by charismatic speakers, rather than by
personal investigation of Biblical teachings. This trend reminds me of what a
neurologist told me sometimes ago. He said that only 5% of the people do the
thinking in our society. Of the remaining 95%, 15% think that they think, and 80%
do anything but think.
The
inability or unwillingness to examine the teachings of popular speakers in the
light of Scripture, helps us to understand why some many people accept
heretical teachings. For example, recently a good number of Adventist members
have embraced the New Covenant theology promoted by such former Adventist
pastors and Bible teachers, such as Dale Ratzlaff, Clay Peck, Richard
Frederick, Harry Krueger, and others. These former Adventists were carried away
by the charisma of these men, who misled them into believing that the Sabbath
is part of the Old Covenant, no longer binding upon Christians today.
Unfortunately, these people failed to follow the example of the Bereans, who,
we are told, "examined the scripture daily to see if these things were
so" (Acts 17:11).
My
appeal to all the readers of this newsletter, is to follow the example of the
Bereans in reserving the right to test the validity of any new teaching in the
light of the normative authority of Scripture. The eloquence or the
spirituality of any leader, is not a safe criteria for determining what is
truth. Let us apply our minds to diligently studying the Word of God in order
to discover for ourselves the beautiful truths contained therein.
Sunday Services
in Some Adventist Churches
A
question that several members of the Atlanta North SDA Church asked me this
past Sabbath was regarding the Sunday morning worship services conducted in
some Adventist churches. The question came up because their previous pastor is
now planting a new Adventist church in Atlanta by holding a regular Sunday
morning worship service, in addition to that of the Sabbath.
What
this pastor is doing is not unique. During the past few months I have received
reports from different parts of North America about SDA churches conducting
regular Sunday morning services. I have been repeatedly asked to comment about
this practice. So far I ignored these reports because I felt that they
represented few isolated cases. Evidently, that is no longer the case. More
Adventist churches are adopting Sunday worship service, in addition to that of the
Sabbath, to facilitate the outreach to their communities.
In
my view there is nothing wrong with holding meetings on Sunday as part of a
temporary outreach endeavor, like an evangelistic campaign or various types of
seminars. The problem arises when Sunday worship services become a regular
feature of an Adventist church. The predictable result is that gradually the
Sunday morning service will displace and replace the Sabbath service. This is
the lesson of history.
As
a church historian, I am reminded that Sunday worship began, especially in the
Eastern part of the Roman Empire, as an addition to Sabbath worship. Gradually,
however, Sunday worship replaced completely the Sabbath worship, especially
since it was more convenient to go to church on Sunday-the day that was made a civil
holiday by Constantine in A. D. 321.
History
often repeats itself. The current promotion of Sunday worship in addition to
Sabbath worship, is no exception. An example is recent adoption of Sunday
worship by several former Adventist pastors and Bible teachers, who have
embraced the so-called "New Covenant Theology," These men initially
promoted the introduction of Sunday worship in addition to Sabbath worship. But
it was not long before they moved their church services exclusively to Sunday.
I predicted this development two years ago while debating some of these former
Adventists. I was accused of using defamatory and scaring tactics. What has
happened has proven the accuracy of my prediction. I was simply reading the
current development in the light of what has happened in the past.
On
the basis of the same historical perspective I dare to predict that those SDA
churches that are now conducting regular Sunday worship services, in addition
to Sabbath services, will eventually for convenience sake eliminate altogether
church services on Saturday. How can we expect Sunday-keepers to accept the
principle and practice of Sabbath-keeping when they are invited to worship regularly
on Sunday in an Adventist Church?
The
notion of conducting a regular Sunday worship service as a way to reach Sunday-keepers
who are more free and accustomed to go to church on that day, is inspired not
by Scripture, but by the Willow Creek mentality. The underlying philosophy of
Willow Creek is to give to people what they want. By contrast, the Biblical philosophy
is to give to people what they need. Going to church on Saturday may not be
popular and convenient for some, but Jesus never promised that it would be easy
to follow him. The problem is that many want to wear a crown without carrying
the cross.
A Personal Note
About This Newsletter
The
many messages received about Samuel Pipim's essay on "Homosexuality and
the Adventist Church," posted on ENDTIME ISSUES No. 55, have made me
forcefully aware of the fact that homosexuality is a much greater problem in
our Adventist Church than I had anticipated.
Reading
the messages received as well as some articles published in our Adventist
church papers, it would appear to me that there is a trend toward a qualified
acceptance of unpracticed homosexuality. The latter is seen as compatible with
Biblical teachings. The reasoning is that homosexuals do not choose to be gay. They
are born that way, and consequently they should not be held responsible for
their sexual orientation any more than we hold people responsible for the color
of the skins.
This
view is expressed, for example in the article "Are Homosexual God's
Children?" published in Adventist Review, April 1997. The writer says:
"For starters, I have learned that homosexuality is a condition, not a
behavior" (p. 26). In closing the article, the writer urges the church to
demonstrate love and compassion toward homosexuals, without "condemning
them for an orientation over which they have no control."
The
popular view that human behavior is largely, if not exclusively, predetermined
by one's environment or genetic code, is incompatible with the Bible's view of
the human freedom of choice. The fact that a person may have inherited or
cultivated certain tendencies, does not make him/her morally unaccountable
toward God or society. Were this so, God could not rightly hold every human
being accountable for their conduct on the day of judgment. Yet, the Scripture
affirms that "they are without excuse" (Rom 1:20).
Furthermore, the claim "I was born gay
and I cannot change my attraction for people of the same sex," negates the
power of the divine grace to help us "overcome all hereditary and
cultivated tendencies to sin" (The Desire of Ages, p. 671; cf. The
Ministry of Healing, pp. 175-176).
The
testimony you are about to read is written by a current Adventist pastor who
uses the pseudonym of Victor J Adamson, to protect his identity. He wrote his
testimony largely as a response to the article "Are Homosexual God's
Children?" which appeared in Adventist Review, April 1997. The article, as
noted above, views homosexuality as a hereditary, permanent orientation that
cannot be changed.
Adamson
does not share this view. The story of his pilgrimage from bondage to freedom
shows that by God's grace "Homosexuals Can Be Made Whole!" He concludes his testimony with the
reassuring words: "To those who believe that gay people never change, may
I say: "Yes, they can change. God's transforming power and grace can make
them whole. This is what He did for me." I trust that you will enjoy
reading this testimony. Feel free to share it with your friends.
Homosexuals Can
Be Made Whole!
Victor J.
Adamson (A pseudonym)
If you had asked me nine years ago why
I had chosen to be gay, I would have answered you as I did countless times
before, "I did not choose to be gay! I chose to be a Seventh-day Adventist
Christian. I chose to be educated in Seventh-day Adventist Christian schools. I
chose to be a student missionary. I chose to earn a degree in Theology and to
graduate with honors. I chose to marry a Seventh-day Adventist young lady. I
chose to have Seventh-day Adventist babies. I did not choose to be gay! I just
finally came to grips with reality and accepted the fact that I was gay. I came
to believe that I was born gay."
For years after my "coming
out" of the closet and experiencing the devastating breakup of my home, I
dared anyone to tell me that my "condition" was a matter of choice. I
had made all the right "choice" in my life. While struggling with the
nagging yearnings of my heart, I had prayed relentlessly that God would "Create
in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me." I wanted God to
help me to love and to be in love with my wife. But, all my efforts were of no
avail.
Finally,
I succumbed to those nagging yearnings and fell into the "gay" life
of homosexual relationships, totally convinced that my "condition,"
or "behavior," was not the result of my willful choice. What
Christian would willingly choose to be so radically out of sync with society,
and the church? I had to be either the victim of my own environment, or just
born that way.
My parents, friends, and family all
thought of me as a gentle person, thoughtful and considerate of others. In
their eyes I was intelligent, likeable, courteous, and talented in many areas. Most
of all, I was known to be deeply spiritual.
The Tensions of
My "Gay" Lifestyle
Upon
entering the "gay" lifestyle, I still live up to that image, except
that I was no longer "deeply spiritual." I refused to be a hypocrite.
There was no way I could reconcile my homosexuality with the calling to be part
of the Remnant people who love God and keep His commandments. To me the Bible
was very clear in teaching that "homosexual offenders" will not enter
the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9)
Looking back upon the years spent in
the "gay" lifestyle, I can honestly say that my life became full of
disgusting, depraved, and perverted behavior. Like every homosexual I knew, I
became lustful and obsessed with sex. In public and among friends, however, I
masterfully maintained the image of a decent, gentle, thoughtful, polite,
considerate person, both loving and lovable.
Before returning to God, for sixteen
years I blamed Him for everything wrong with my life, especially my
homosexuality, because I had prayed that He would take it away, and He had not.
So, I reason, It was God's fault, not my own if I was "gay."
During
those self-serving years of "love," promiscuity, pleasure,
self-exaltation, and self-gratification, I experienced much loneliness, misery
and heartache. However, my parents and family never made me feel unloved,
unappreciated, or unaccepted. In His mercy and patience, the Lord worked
through my family members to reveal to me the true meaning of unconditional
love toward me, a sinner, without condoning my sinful lifestyle. They
manifested their unconditional love and acceptance, not only toward me, but
also toward my friends and lovers. Their unconditional acceptance of me demonstrated
the meaning of Jesus' words: "Neither do I condemn thee." In their
loving acceptance, however, they did not dismiss the rest of Jesus’ statement:
"go, and sin no more" (John 8:11).
Some Troubling
Questions and a Dream
The
unconditional acceptance of my family members eventually led me to stop blaming
God for my condition. Instead, I began to look honestly at myself. After all, I
thought, I can blame God all my life and still be lost. I asked myself: "What is the point is to pretend there
are no consequences to my lifestyle, or that I could be saved in spite of
it?" Gradually I became aware that I was deceiving myself. I needed to
stop running and hiding from God, seek instead guidance in His Word.
The
statement "All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit
them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be
overcome by Satan (GC 620), seem to speak to my own predicament. That was me. I had become totally overcome by
Satan.
I
began to think, "Wouldn't it be tragic to find myself standing some day
outside the New Jerusalem, with "a good excuse." For several years I
was troubled by a recurring dream in which I experienced the horror of being
lost as I gazed into the face of Jesus coming in the clouds of glory. Apparently
Jesus used this dream to reach out to me, a homosexual, saying, "My son,
give me thine heart, before it is too late." Incidentally, since coming
back to Him, I have never experienced again the nightmare of that dream!
Jesus
warns us about the fate of the wicked, saying, "Depart from me, you
evildoers. . . .you cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels" (Matthew 7:23; 25:41).
Tragically, the lake of fire will contain an innumerable host whom God dearly loves
unconditionally. He loves them so much that He gave His only begotten Son that
they need not perish. But they choose to reject the gift of eternal life. God
honors their choice. The result is their eternal separation from the Source of
eternal life.
The Challenge
of Beginning a New Life
In
childlike reasoning and logic, I prayerfully studied God's Word to find either
justification for my homosexuality, or the remedy for it. Try as I might, I
could not find justification anywhere in God's word for continuing my
homosexual lifestyle. More I studied Scripture and more I became convinced that
God designed marriage to be a union of one man with one woman, the two becoming
one flesh.
The
intimate relationship of a man with a man or a woman with a woman cannot
fulfill God's purpose for marriage. Furthermore, the Scripture condemns same
sex relationships as "abomination" (Lev 20:13), which will prevent
entrance into God's Kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-10). These and other texts convinced me
that there was no way for me to legitimize my homosexual lifestyle.
It
was presumptuous for me to live as though I had the gift of eternal life when
in reality I was knowingly earning the wages of sin "death." As I
began pondering my eternal destiny, gradually I became convinced that my life
had to be changed. But, I felt powerless to make that change. In retrospect, I
can understand that the sense of helplessness resulting from my violating God's
moral principles, was designed to awaken within me a realization of my need for
a Savior.
In
my helplessness I found reassurance in the fact that God is the omnipotent
Creator and Re-Creator of our lives. Through the enlightening of His Word and
the enabling power of His Spirit, I sensed that I could be cleansed and made
whole. I came to realize that it does not matter whether I was born homosexual
or I had chosen to become one. Every descendant of Adam is born with tendencies
to sin. I gained reassurance in the promise that God's grace could enable me to
overcome both inherited and cultivated sinful tendencies.
As
I continued to study and pray, I sensed more and more God's unconditional love
for me, though I was a homosexual. I sensed that no matter how sinful my past
had been, God could forgive and cleanse me. What I needed to do was to develop
a hate for sin and a love for truth and righteousness.
I
was given the assurance in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 that I could be cured of my
homosexuality. Paul speaks of this very sin, among others, when he says:
"And such WERE some of you [past tense]; but ye ARE washed [present
tense], but ye ARE sanctified, but ye ARE justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
[How?] and by the Spirit of our God."
As
I continued my self-evaluation, I came to realize more and more that I had been
deceived into thinking that I was living a life of freedom, when in actuality I
had been in terrible bondage. What I desperately needed, was not freedom from
God's law, but freedom from the bondage of sin: my addictive sexual perversion.
Such freedom became possible through the enabling power of God's grace which
can bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"
(2 Cor 10:5). Thank God for His amazing grace that restored a sinner like me
into the family of God and made me a productive, working member of His cause.
Perhaps
the greatest challenge in beginning a new life, was convincing my Adventist
fellow believers that by God's grace I was no longer a homosexual. My attitude
and sexual orientation had changed. How distressing it was for me to hear
ministers and laity alike discrediting my conversion experience by saying,
"Sure, I believe in victory over sin. But gay people never change! I have
never known anyone coming out of the gay lifestyle who has remained straight
for more than two years! Beware of him and to keep your children away from
him." Such critical comments reveal a lack of faith in God's power to
forgive us and to cleanse penitent sinners from all sinful practices, including
homosexuality.
Soul Searching
Questions
The sarcastic comments I often heard
from fellow believers, caused me to search my soul and frequently ask myself:
"Have my feelings and emotions toward men miraculously changed upon my conversion?
Have I really experienced a radical change of attitude, a psychological change
in my sexual orientation? Or, do I still have the same gender orientation?
These questions are of paramount
importance for those who are sincerely seeking for deliverance from besetting
sins of whatever nature. They deserve a definitive explanation. But the answer
is not always easy to find, especially when someone, like myself, had undergone
a traumatic experience. I terminate my relationship with the man whom I deeply loved.
My feelings and emotions toward him at all had not changed, but my attitude
toward the Man Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Word had radically
changed.
The Struggle of
a New Life
Being
faced with a choice between my male lover and the Man Jesus, I decided to
follow my Savior, regardless of consequences. Like the words of the popular
hymn, for me it became a matter of "Trust and Obey." I began to trust
my Creator, realizing that "Father truly does know best." And in this ever increasing trust, I began to
obey Him in spite of my feelings and emotions, knowing that His will for me was
for my own present and eternal happiness.
I
accepted the biblical truth that "the just shall live by faith," not
by feelings and emotions. In practicing this Biblical principle, I discovered
that the right feelings and emotions did not emerge immediately. They came
gradually as I learned to accept by faith the will of my Creator for my life.
Had I waited until I had gained victory over my sinful inclinations before
trusting and obeying Christ, then I no longer need a Savior!
As
a homosexual, I needed to be saved from my sin, just as an unfaithful spouse, a
thief, a murderer, or a liar need to be saved from their sins. Salvation from
sin is not a human achievement, but a divine provision of grace. It is a work
of work of divine therapy, reprogramming, redirection, recreation.
Leaving
behind the love of my sinful life, I entered my new world as a helpless,
newborn babe. As an infant begins his life with inherited tendencies to evil, I
began my new life with all the same tendencies I had cultivated during my previous
life. But, trusting God, my Father and Christ, my Savior, I renounced my
homosexuality and submitted myself to divine directives and sought fellowship within
the family of God.
One
important principle that I learned was to "protect my new environment."
The inherited and cultivated evil tendencies are somewhat like a ravenous lion
seeking whom he may devour. That "beast" must be starved while
another, the Lamb of God, is to be nurtured and cultivated. Evil must be
replaced with good. Perverted feelings and emotions can be gradually starved
out and replaced by right feelings and emotions when we follow the instructions
laid out for us in the "Operator's Manual" given us by the Creator of
sexuality.
The
new struggle I faced when I decided to turn my back upon everything and
everyone I had known, reminded me of the struggle I faced when fleeing from God
earlier in my life. I had to separate myself totally from the gay scene and
lifestyle, fleeing from them for my very life, as it were fleeing from doomed
Sodom and Gomorrah.
I
started a new life surrounding myself with everything I knew to be right for
me. These were not necessarily everything I wanted around me! But, no Christian
can afford to depend on what feels right. Neither could I! The spiritual mind
is to rule over and bring into subjection the lusts of the flesh.
Guarding the
Avenues of My Mind
I
learned the importance of guarding well the avenues to my mind, by not placing
myself in the path of temptation. This entails being careful over what I watch,
what I read, and what I listen to. It requires a daily determination not to
give Satan any advantage over me. Like the apostle Paul, I, too, must "die
daily" (1 Cor 15:21), and continue to "pommel my body and subdue it,
lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Cor. 9:27).
And when Satan plants those impure thoughts
and desires into the heart, (and he does...!), God's enabling grace is
sufficient for my struggle against homosexuality. His grace enables me, as Paul
puts it, to bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"
(2 Cor. 10:5). I practice using my power of choice to "turn the
page," and to "change the subject." God helps me do this, when I
place my will in His hands.
The
biblical injunction to "Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7), has become very meaningful
to me. When tempted, I repeat the words of Philippians 4:8: "Whatsoever
things are true, ...honest, ...just, whatsoever things are pure, ...lovely,
...of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things."
Another
principle I learned to put into practice is to accept with gratitude the gift
of a female companion offered to me by God. In the Garden of Eden, God created
a woman, not a man, as an helpmate for Adam. In His infinite wisdom and love
God gave man the gift of a woman to be by his side. There was no better
alternative. God did not make a mistake. He knew what He was doing when He designed
a female partner for man. Can we not
trust God with His own creative plan?
God
went to great lengths to provide for man the wonderful gift of a woman. Some of
men have turned up their noses at this gift, and, instead, burn in their own
lust for one another (Rom 1:27). I was one of them. Did God stop loving me? No!
Of course not! He continued to love me though I chose to use my sexuality to love
a man rather than a woman. It is with great disappointment that the Creator
sees men perverting the intended use of their sexuality.
It is not a sin for a person to live
without the gift of a marital partner. For different reasons many people end up
living their entire lives without the pleasures of marriage. But it is wrong
for people to indulge in sexual behavior outside of marriage. And it is wrong
for us men to pervert the gift of our sexuality which was designed for a
procreational and relational functions. It is equally wrong for a woman to lust
and covet after another woman whom God has created for man. It has taken time
for me to learn to be grateful to god for what He has provided for my best
interest.
Overcoming
Homosexuality
The
secret to overcoming the sin of homosexuality, or any other besetting sin, is
to be found in helping someone else to overcome sin. This premise is based upon
the Biblical principle for happiness: self-less-ness. True happiness comes in
helping someone else to be happy: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last,
creates the acronym for JOY.
Joseph,
far from home in the land of his captivity, never forgot this principle.
"How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" he cried as
he fled from the temptation of Potiphar’s wife. His concern was not "fear
of punishment," nor was it "hope of reward." No; his
faithfulness in obedience resulted in disgrace and confinement in a dungeon. Joseph's
concern was a total self-less interest in the will and honor of his God;
regardless of consequences. He also loved and honored his master Potiphar,
putting his master's interests above his own. All the heavenly host
are focused upon the happiness and well-being of others, including you and me.
Except for sinful man, all unfallen creatures live for the benefit of the rest
of creation. This principle of self-less-ness has been of great value in the process
of reconditioning myself from my former homosexual lifestyle It has helped me
to abandon the old practice of self-gratification, seeking instead fulfillment
within the sacred realm of marriage.
By practicing these and other Biblical
principles, I have become totally comfortable in my new life as a heterosexual.
The thought of returning to my old life has become foreign and repugnant to me.
Submitting myself to divine reconditioning and therapy has truly resulted in a
new creation. And I rejoice in the words of Paul about my new life in Christ:
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor 5:17)
Why should Christians doubt that this
promise can be true for the homosexual as well as for anyone else? My new
victorious heterosexual life is a testimony to the power of God to save people from
the depth of their sins. And I praise Him every day for demonstrating the power
of His grace in forgiving, cleansing, and renewing my life.
By cleansing and renewing my life, the
Savior has commissioned me in the same words He spoke to the cleansed demoniac in
Mark 5:19, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the
Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." Accordingly, I
love to tell the story through the spoken word and my published autobiography
That Kind Can Never change! Can They? of how the Lord has rescued me from the
depths of degradation, into a new life of service for Him.
This story of my pilgrimage from
bondage to freedom, is designed to encourage not only homosexuals seeking
divine deliverance, but also anyone struggling with besetting sins of whatever
nature. In this book I share those Biblical principles which have helped me to
gain victory over homosexuality and now sustain me in heterosexuality.
In closing I wish to testify that my
life was changed not through human reasoning, logic, philosophy and counseling,
but through the Word of God and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. By His grace,
this homosexual prodigal child has been delivered from his sin and redirected
into a productive and fruitful new life of service as a Seventh-day Adventist
minister of the gospel. I am happily married with children.
I
praise the Lord for His compassion, mercy and marvelous power manifested in
saving even me from my life of sin! To those who believe that gay people never
change, may I say: "Yes, they can change. God's transforming power and
grace can make them whole. This is what He did for me."